Obama: White House tech is 30 years behind

No "really cool phones and stuff" in the Oval Office

US President Barack Obama has hit out at the lack of new tech in the White House, claiming the gadgets he has at his disposal are three decades old.

BlackBerry-lover Barack jokingly bemoaned the lack of "cool phones and stuff" in the Oval Office while speaking at a fundraiser in Chicago this week.

"When it comes to technology, we are like 30 years behind," he said in response to a question on bottlenecks in technological innovation.

"I'm like, c'mon guys, I'm the president of the United States. Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen."

Social phenomenon

It's little surprise Obama is upset about having to put up with old gadgets after blazing a technological trail during his 2008 campaign, mobilising huge levels of support through Facebook and Twitter.

He recently announced his bid for re-election in 2012 via his Facebook page.

The President made headlines back in February by holding high-level meetings with three of Silicon Valley's biggest hitters, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Eric Schmidt.